"But you have never heard of a planet called Kadesh, right?" Daniel asked, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

Teal'c shook his head minutely. "Indeed, I have not."

Letting out a deep sigh, he looked at his friend. "To be honest, I don't know where to start," he confessed, gesturing towards the books and laptop he'd brought aboard.

"There is not a reference to a place called Kadesh in your literature?"

"Actually, there is," Daniel shrugged, before reaching over the pile of books to reach his notes. "It was an Ancient city of the Levant and is best known as the location of one of the best documented battles of the ancient world, the Battle of Kadesh. It took place during the thirteenth century before Christ."

Raising his brow, Teal'c slowly sat down on one of the chairs. "A battle between whom?"

"The Egyptian and Hittite Empires," he replied automatically.

"The Goa'uld?"

Daniel nodded as he tapped his notebook. "It was probably the largest chariot battle ever fought, with several thousands of chariots. Of course, that probably weren't the horse drawn carriages humanity has always assumed. Eventually a peace agreement was drawn up, which is thought to be the earliest example of any written international agreement of any kind. Anyway, a lot of pharaohs were involved in this battle but none that look familiar with the exception of Ra and Seth. They're both dead so…"

"I see," Teal'c intoned pensively.

"Of course, the Egyptians identified Seth as Ba'al!" He exclaimed when a thought struck him. "I assumed that was incorrect considering our previous encounter with both, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it wasn't Ba'al that was meant here. Seth, after all, was associated with the foreign, Semitic goddesses Anat and Astarte."

"Did you not mention that Anat was considered Ra's daughter, Daniel Jackson?"

"At Zoan, yes," Daniel replied as he glanced at his notes. "And together with Astarte the consort of Seth. But in Ugaritic texts Anat is the daughter of El, sister and consort of Ba'al. A role she shares with Astarte, their other sister. Teal'c, this could mean that An'eke was right! Kadesh could be one of Ba'al's planets and yet we – nor the Tok'ra – have ever heard of it! I looked into the subspace network and there is no mention of a planet named Kadesh."

"Indeed, this sounds most promising."

"Why?" Janet asked from her position in the doorway. She'd been about to enter the room when Daniel seemed to have an epiphany and – instead of interrupting – had decided to hear him out before greeting them. "It could still be a planet that belonged to Ra or Seth, since they were both Goa'uld too."

"True," Daniel admitted, his shoulders sagging. "Teal'c what would have happened with Seth's territory if he never left Earth or was banned by the System Lords?"

Cocking his head, Teal'c thought for a minute. "Neighboring Goa'uld would most likely claim his planets as their own."

"Maybe the System Lords divided his territory over themselves or minor lords," Janet suggested as she joined them at the table.

"One planet could have easily been forgotten," Daniel offered, unsure. "Or maybe Ra claimed all his planets and after his death, Apophis took it over. Either way, eventually it would have landed in Ba'al's hands once the System Lords fell."

"Okay," she nodded, agreeing. "How does that help us? It still doesn't bring us any closer of learning the location of the planet."

"Maybe we don't need to," he replied a little hopeful. "If Ba'al and the baby are still aboard the ship there is no need to find the planet."

Teal'c inclined his head and rose from his seat. "Then the Free Jaffa will continue the search in the hopes of finding Ba'al's mate."

Daniel frowned, thinking for a moment. "It could be that he is hiding her there, since no one really knows who his mate is. Or is Queen," he added pensively. "I mean, he apparently had more Jaffa than we had expected by the looks of the casualties on P3R-112 and he would need a Queen to spawn him symbiotes, right?"

"Indeed, his Jaffa would require a prim'ta as they do not have access to tretonin."

"With the exception of that De'rek,'' Janet mentioned softly.

"But he was a Fifth Column operative," Daniel argued, "undercover in Ba'al's ranks."

Nodding slowly, she processed this information. "Where could one find a Queen to spawn symbiotes?"

"Well, Egeria was placed in a stasis jar on Pangar after being exiled by Ra and Hathor," Daniel cringed as he mentioned the name, "was locked in her sarcophagus on Earth. Isis was referred to as mother-goddess so she probably was a Queen too."

"But they are all dead, surely there must be more of these Queens? How else could the Goa'uld have sustained their Jaffa population for so long? If they had been the last Queens symbiotes would have been scarce," she countered. "I doubt they would have eaten symbiotes at the summit you attended," she glanced at Daniel, referring to his mission with Jacob years earlier, "if there wouldn't be any queens left to provide them with new ones."

"An old tale tells of a place where the children of the gods come from," Teal'c spoke confidently, recalling from memory what he had learned in the decades of serving Apophis as his First Prime. "It is said the System Lords have trained an elite command force to protect the mothers who have been secreted away."

Daniel rubbed the back of his neck as he listened to Teal'c's explanation. "Well, that makes sense. If the System Lords are the only ones who know where the Queens are they have all the power because they distribute the larvae to the other Goa'uld. Of course they would have to be protected before someone finds them and suddenly has a private Queen, their own source of unlimited larval Goa'uld. It would shift the balance of power."

"And now Ba'al is the only System Lord who is still alive," Janet added soberly. "So he would be the only one who has access to the Queens… I doubt the System Lords would train Jaffa, who are dependent upon the prim'tas themselves to protect them, especially after the rebellion. It would most likely be a different race who for some reason are loyal to the Goa'uld, either by choice or free will. Ba'al would still have the power to send them away or simply take them out as he would know their weaknesses."

"Perhaps Kadesh is where he has hidden the Queens," Teal'c suggested with a hint of interest. If he and his fellow Jaffa would be able to terminate the Queens, the Goa'uld would be exterminated once and for all. They themselves had tretonin as an alternative and this way the Jaffa would truly be free.

Janet grimaced slightly. "Call me cynical, but I doubt even Ba'al would keep the Queens on the same planet."

"Good point," Daniel conceded, sighing. "Then again, with the shift of the power balance all the ranks of the Goa'uld have been attacked ferociously, by Jaffa as well as other races; there's a good chance many Queens have already been killed, either by accident or on purpose. Hopefully, Ba'al only has one."

"Indeed."

Jack casually strolled through the corridors on the Asgard ship, his hands stuffed in his pockets as he whistled the tune of The Simpsons. He'd just visited Thor, who had been discussing the brain scans of Sam again with Doc Fraiser and was able to confirm that Sam had indeed given birth after examining the other medical scans, but they already knew that. Other than that, the gray little alien hadn't been able to shed more light on her condition and was hoping Heimdall could tell them more. It would be a few more hours until they would reach the rendezvous point and then twenty-five more hours to reach Ba'al's location. Thor had told him that Daniel and Teal'c had been in what Jack himself had dubbed the lounge area – although Daniel's books strewn everywhere kind of interfered with his idea of lounging – while Rak'nor and Adal were training in another room.

He smiled when he reached his quarters again and waited for the door to silently open. When he'd slipped out of bed and had freshen up, Sam was still asleep and considering the… exercise of the past two days he'd decided give her another hour before waking her up. The huge bed was against the farthest wall and took up most of the room. Grinning, Jack looked down at the rose in his left hand and quickly hid it behind his back as he walked up to Sam.

"I was wondering where you were," Sam said in a sleepy voice as she smiled, her eyes still closed but she'd heard him approach.

He sat down on the mattress and lovingly took in her relaxed features. "I went for a little stroll, had to get some updates on what had been going on while we were… sleeping," he replied softly, waiting for her to open her eyes.

"Oh," she mumbled, opening her eyes to look at him. Smiling brightly she leaned up on her elbow. "Sleep well?"

"Hell yeah," Jack grinned, brushing her hair back with his right hand before leaning in to kiss her. "Best rest in months," he mumbled against her lips.

"Me too," she beamed at him, happy to know that he apparently didn't have any regrets even though she'd practically thrown herself at him. "I missed you, needed you," she confessed, feeling conflicted as she didn't know how she could have missed him so much since they'd practically spent every day of the last five weeks together and before that her memory was pretty much blank.

Jack closed his eyes briefly to keep his emotions under control. He had needed her too. Had missed her, not just the physical part of their marriage but the emotions. There had been plenty emotions the last few weeks, but not the good kind. Only four hours ago had she given herself to him, body and soul. When she'd been straddling him and their gazes had locked, he'd recognized the emotions in her eyes; the trust, longing, desire, lust and even a sparkle of love. Her memories might not have returned yet, but she'd been uninhibited in their lovemaking and it was like it had always been between them. Spectacular, loving, amazing and very satisfying. For the moment he loved her enough for the both of them and he was sure that in time she would learn to love him again too if her memories would not return. "Janet and Thor were asking about you but I said I'd left you to get some more rest, which seemed to be good enough for them."

Sam nodded and then cocked her head. "Jack," she drawled his name and playfully punched his chest, "what are you hiding behind your back?"

Looking slightly abashed, he slowly showed her the rose. "For you," he said softly, looking at the mattress. He'd never been very good with talking about feelings and the same went for romantic gestures. He didn't even know if she liked roses but at least he'd tried. It was a good thing that he could read Asgard so that he could operate the consoles and materialize the flower – there had only been a limited choice of plant life and this seemed like the safest option.

"Oh," she gasped, trying to come up with a more intelligent reply but only found herself gaping. "Ah, I ah… don't know what to say," she smiled shyly, "thank you."

Seeing her smile, Jack grinned too, relieved that she apparently didn't hate it and handed her the rose. "Think nothing of it," he quipped, before he felt her lips against his.

"It's sweet," Sam replied, holding the rose to her chest as her other hand ruffled his hair. Suddenly she frowned, remembering something they'd been talking about a few weeks ago. Her eyes widened in shock. "Oh my God, today is our anniversary, isn't it?"

For a moment, his heart almost jumped out of his chest when her facial expression had turned into something horrific. He let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding as he nodded. "Yeah, exactly one year ago today, the regs were non-existent for the first time since we'd met and I proposed that evening."

"And I accepted," she replied, smirking. "Probably the best choice I've ever made," Sam told him as she cupped the back of his neck and pulled him into a passionate kiss. "Happy anniversary, Jack."

"Happy anniversary, Sam," he mumbled in her hair as he rested his chin on top of her head.

"My Lord," Ba'alat greeted pleasantly as she appeared on the long-range visual communication device. "Astarte, I was unaware you would be accompanying our Lord," she grimaced.

"Hello my dear Queen," Ba'al smirked at her before glancing at the queen at his side.

"If you had bothered to accept my calls it would have been unnecessary," Astarte replied haughtily. "Now I was forced to take part of my fleet and several of my best Jaffa to this part of the galaxy."

He nodded in agreement as his eyes shifted back to the orb in front of him. "It was unnecessary and could have endangered our plans if some of our enemies had encountered the fleet. I do not need to remind you that the Tau'ri are very anxious to find me and the infant."

"Of course my Lord," she inclined her head respectfully, holding his gaze. "I am acutely aware of the risks if my existence and research would be known."

Rubbing scented oil on her hands, Astarte nodded absentmindedly. She was well aware that the dislike she felt for Ba'alat was mutual and it would not be in her best interest to argue with her consort's Queen in front of him. "It would not only be your existence that would be endangered," she said tersely. "Now, I have not yet received the results of the child's testing nor have I been informed of the progress into your research."

"Do not worry, Astarte," Ba'alat said sweetly, "the location of your domain is still unclear to me so you must not fear I would betray you."

"As it should," she replied curtly. "The reports?"

Ba'al grinned as he looked between the two women. His Queen with her bright golden eyes, pouty lips and straight black hair looking at him from the other side of the galaxy. Astarte, his consort with her mahogany curls, green eyes, perky nose and full lips on his side. They were both very different and yet similar in some aspects but had never gotten along very well, merely tolerated the other. He did not mind as long as they both did as he said. Astarte, however had become more hostile for quite some time now, which only fueled Ba'alat's behavior. It would not do for them to fall out, not before the research was done. He needed Anat to restore the balance, but he would never admit it aloud.

"The infant appears very promising but I will need more time with the child during our next meeting."

"Very well," Astarte nodded in understanding. "I will see to it. The research?"

"It is… progressing."

Ba'al huffed at the reply, unsatisfied with the lack of results. "That is what you have been saying for quite some time now, my dear."

"I should not have to remind you that you do not have much more time," Astarte scolded as she took a closer look. "You look most undesirable, Ba'alat. Perhaps that is the reason you did not contact me?"

She grimaced again, her eyebrows knitting together. "It is not."

Turning towards her consort, Astarte leaned towards him. Her host was tall and easily reached his shoulder allowing her to whisper into his ear. "She is in dire need of a new host and should not be allowed to spawn more of her… flawed offspring nor use the sarcophagus."

"I am aware, my love," he replied, barely turning his head towards her. "Ba'alat, it will not be much longer before your host will perish-"

"The sarcophagus is still capable of-"

"No!" Ba'al snarled at her. "It will damage your brain and I will not allow my Queen to turn into an old fool like Yu," he barked, disgusted with the prospect. "Cease being fastidious and take a new host."

Reluctantly Astarte decided to speak up. After all, Ba'alat's expertise was required for their research and she would not rest before she was rejoined with Anat and their plans for the infant was completed. "Our Lord's gift is capable of repairing your host's body but it will take its toll. I will ensure a new selection of hosts will be brought to you in order for you to continue your other work."

"We will meet again soon, my dear Queen," Ba'al stated before disconnecting. "She is being most stubborn."

Astarte walked to the other side of the chambers for food and wine. "I keenly remember you praising that quality often."

"Not in this matter," he huffed, joining her. "She has her mind set on a host and refuses to take another."

"Which host would that be?" She inquired as she poured them both a drink.

"The lovely Colonel Carter, of course," he replied, taking a large swallow of wine.

Her head snapped up. "You cannot be serious," she glowered at him, "I had promised Samantha to Anat."

"Ba'alat is in need of a new host and she is perfect," Ba'al countered, grabbing a plate with food and sat down on a sofa. "Colonel Carter is a relatively intelligent female for a Tau'ri and quite lovely. Her knowledge stretches from Tau'ri to Asgard and Jaffa to Tok'ra. Unlike some of my lo'taurs her mind is worthy of my Queen and Ba'alat would enjoy the challenge of subduing such a fine specimen."

"You would revel in the knowledge of having O'Neill's woman and their child," Astarte said knowingly. "However, I must insist Samantha would be most suitable for Anat."

He watched her as she gingerly peeled some fruit, ate it and washed it away with his favorite wine. "You are most insistent, my love. Why is that?"

"Samantha is strong, powerful. A soldier yet very feminine." She smiled seductively as she stalked towards him. "Passionate and beautiful, like myself. She is very attractive and most sensual, you cannot deny that you find her arousing and exciting," Astarte continued. "I have witnessed the effect she has on you myself."

"Yes, she is very, very lovely," Ba'al confirmed, leaning his head back as she stood in front of him. "It is a shame she is now most likely wasting her passion on O'Neill; the mere thought makes me sick," he huffed, grabbing her hips to pull her closer.

Smiling coyly, Astarte let her fingers slide through his hair, looking down on him. "Passionate about those she loves, on the field and in bed."

"Very true."

"We have both seen the carnage the replicator created in her image made throughout this galaxy and I have thoroughly enjoyed the visuals from Lord Yu's ships as she slaughtered them with ardor. Her true nature surfaced; she is very suitable with her passion for bloodshed and her intelligence. With her as host for Anat and by our side, we are unstoppable," she elaborated, excited at the prospect. "She would be an exemplary goddess of fertility, sexual love, hunting and war. Her offspring would trump all and give our Jaffa even more strength. Samantha and Anat together would become our virgin, mother, wanton and warrior," she whispered as she leaned forward and captured his lips with hers.

"You seem most pleased, Colonel Carter," Teal'c said as he sat down next to her.

"I am," she replied, smiling dreamily, her mind still with Jack. "Did you know that Jack proposed to me a year ago today?"

"Indeed I did," he inclined his head, grinning slightly. "However, I was unaware that you did too."

Sam ducked her head abashedly. "I remembered about an hour ago," she admitted, cheeks burning, "when Jack handed me a rose. Over the last few weeks we've been talking about a lot of things and he'd told me about that too."

"I did not realize O'Neill was what you would call romantic."

Giggling, she grabbed his arm and leaned against him. "Neither did I, and I thought I had gotten to know him quite well."

"As have I," he replied solemnly. "Doctor Fraiser informed me she and Thor had not yet devised a method of returning your memories."

"I know," she sighed melancholically, slowly resting her head on his shoulder.

Teal'c gently closed his arms around her, trying to give her some comfort. "Perhaps Heimdall will be of service."

"Maybe," Sam mumbled, shrugging. "I don't know, I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

"You are not concerned, Colonel Carter?" He questioned, raising a brow.

"We'll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it," she replied.

He nodded solemnly. "Indeed. We will arrive at the designation in approximately one hour."

"I know," she said, extricating herself from his embrace. "I'm sorry Teal'c, I didn't mean to break down on you-"

"Do not concern yourself, Colonel Carter, I am your friend and will gladly offer you comfort."

"Thank you, Teal'c."

"It appears there is a blockade that prevents Colonel Carter from retrieving her memories," Heimdall explained as he indicated the area on the scan.

Jack squeezed Sam's hands, all the while keeping his eyes on the little alien. "Well, can you unblock it? Remove it with one of your medical pods?"

Thor stepped forward and cocked his head towards the Tau'ri couple. "We will attempt to do so, O'Neill. However, we are not certain this method will be successful."

"Why not?" Daniel asked, concerned.

"It has been expertly placed and we do not have much experience with these matters. It appears to have been done by technology of the Ancients."

"Ba'al has control of Anubis' possessions," Teal'c stated with disdain.

Sam rubbed her forehead as she processed everything. "So, you're going to put me in one of those pods?" She jerked her head back, in the direction of the equipment, silently wondering if she would fit into one. "Then what?"

"We will attempt to repair the damage," Heimdall replied succinctly.

Jack stood and tugged on her hand. "C'mon, let's get you into one of these."

"Fine," she meekly followed him, casting one last glance towards her friends who all seemed to be encouraging her. "Here we go."

Thor worked his spindly fingers on the consoles for the pod to accommodate Colonel Carter's size and inserted the damaged area and course of treatment. "It is set, please take place and relax."

Sam did as she was told and, letting out a deep breath, lay back and closed her eyes. "I'm ready."

"Very well," he replied, sliding the top close.

Jack anxiously tapped his fingers on his leg, restraining himself from tapping on the pod. Or worse, pull off the lid and get her out of there. It seemed very uncomfortable and if he wouldn't know any better he'd think she was dead. "Well?"

"The brain is very complex, O'Neill, even that of a human. The procedure will last approximately one hour. Perhaps you would like some refreshments while we wait."

He shook his head and placed his unoccupied hand on the glass of the stasis pod. He wondered if that was what he'd looked like when he'd been frozen in stasis on Antarctica or when the Asgard had brought him back to life. Yeah, if they can do that, they can certainly fix Carter's brain, he told himself.

"Jack, you have hardly eaten all day," Daniel reminded him.

Janet practically jumped up and padded over to him, grabbing his arm. "General, I don't want you passing out from lack of food-"

"Doctor Fraiser, I highly doubt that would-"

"Hush!" She told Thor and pulled on the general's arm. "Sir, it won't make time go faster if you don't eat and Sam wants you to be healthy."

Daniel bobbed his head in total agreement. "Yeah, Janet's right Jack. Besides, we have cake!"

"Okay," he rolled his eyes and was about to follow them when he stopped. "Why don't you go get it, while I wait here." He didn't want to leave his wife here alone, he needed to keep an eye on her even if there was nothing he could do for her. "I mean, I can eat it here, right Thor?" He asked, turning towards his buddy. "I swear I'll vacuum the floor myself if I spill."